Comeaux, Acadiana meet in battle for District 3-5A supremacy

New UL commit Andre Landry (87, left) celebrates a touchdown with running back Miles Hutchinson celebrates a touchdown for Acadiana High against Ponchatoula High last season.(Photo11: SCOTT CLAUSE/THE ADVERTISER)Buy Photo

When Comeaux takes the field against Acadiana on Friday, a couple of different things will be running through Spartans' coach Doug Dotson's mind.

After all, it's the same field where he played as a high school student, where his dad — Bill Dotson's — name is on the stadium and now where another generation of the Dotson clan will try to leave their mark, with Doug's son Brett quarterbacking the Spartans to a 4-1 start this season.

Oh, and Comeaux has never beaten the Rams on their home turf.

"It's always neat to go there ... but it hasn't been kind to me, I can tell you that," Dotson said.

Both the Spartans and Rams are coming off of district wins. Acadiana traveled to Sulphur and pulled off a win last week, and the Spartans lost by a point to the Golden Tors two weeks ago before getting back on track last week against Sam Houston.

The one-point loss to Sulphur taught the Spartans an important lesson about themselves, though, something Dotson hopes they can bring into the matchup against Acadiana.

"We talked about, even in the loss it was a victory for us. We can play with anybody; we just have to convince our kids we can do it," Dotson said. "In 2007 Acadiana was coming off of a state championship and Comeaux beat them at home. It's easier said than done though."

Both teams have had their problem areas this season, both in wins and losses.

For Acadiana, Dotson said the only team that has stopped the Rams' offense this season is themselves.

The Rams have struggled with fumbles throughout the season, needing a late two-point conversion stop to overcome Barbe at home two weeks ago.

But against Sulphur, the Rams only fumbled once and had a new star emerge in freshman running back Dillon Monette.

The freshman ran for 266 yards — the seventh best single-game performance in school history — and two touchdowns against Sulphur.

"They're probably undefeated if they hold onto the football," Dotson said. "They seemed to have solved that. The offensive line is the strength of this team."

For the Spartans, it's slow starts that have doomed them in recent weeks. Comeaux eventually pulled out the win against Sam Houston after spotting them two touchdowns, but couldn't get the late win against Sulphur.

Dotson said a fast start was key to beating the Rams because of Acadiana's powerful offense.

Acadiana defensive coordinator Kyle Seibold said the Rams will have to slow down the leading receiver in the area, Comeaux's Tanarious Achan, if they want to keep a lid on the Spartans' offense early.

"He's dynamic with the ball in his hands. He's fast, a good route runner and explosive," Seibold said. "We have to find some kind of way to give our guys help over the top. He's such a good route runner that you can't just tell your cornerbacks to bail and get deep because he finds ways to get open."

Dotson, who controls the defense for the Spartans, said District 3-5A presents a diverse and dynamic set of challenges every week for defenses.

"It's an offensive league right now. It's challenging for defensive coordinators," Dotson said. "We have to make some stops. No one has stopped (Acadiana) this year, so we just have to try and keep it away from them some."

The Spartans will rely on a talented pair of running backs behind a stout offensive line to control the tempo of the game.

"Normally when you have two guys, one is an inside guy and one is an outside guy, but these guys are interchangeable," Seibold said. "They do a good job and are prepared in their zone scheme. They get great angles and take advantage of whatever you're in."

As for both team's in the hunt for a District 3-5A title along with Barbe and Sulphur, another team game on the schedule is nothing new.